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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- A. BOSSOMAIER.

COIN OPERATED EXHIBITINGAPPARATUS.

No.'489,285 Patented Jan. 3, 1893 I77/u-6 Izio 7","

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' A. BOSSQMAIER.

00m OPERATED EXHIBITING APPARATUS. No. 489,285. Patented Jan. 3, 1893.

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UNTTED STATES ALFRED BOSSOMAIER, OF

ATENT Fries.

LAUNOESTON, TASMANIA.

COIN-OPERATED EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,285, dated January 3, 1893.

Application filed May 19, 1892- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED BOSSOMAIER, exhibitors agent, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at No. 47 Cimitire Street, 'Launceston, in the British Colony of Tasmania, have invented an Apparatus for Automatically Exhibiting any Object by the Operation of a Coin, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of an apparatus by which any object such as a View or a picture or a piece of sculpture may be exposed for a certain length of time by the operation of a coin placed in a slot provided for the purpose in the casing of the apparatus.

According to my invention I mount a screen or shutter upon acounterbalanced lever fitted with a retaining catch or pawl and having at its end a receptacle adapted to receive the coin passed through the slot in the casing of the apparatus. This retaining catch or pawl (when the lever carrying the screen or shutter is depressed by the weight of the coin) is moved into engagement with a pivoted lever which is connected by a cord with a trip lever on to which the coin falls after it has passed down a, series of inclines arranged so as to form a zig-zag each of which is provided with a slot in its lower end to enable the coin to fall through on to the top of the next incline. The effect of the coin falling on to this trip lever is to release the screen or shutter carrying lever and thus allow it to return the screen or shutter to its normal position, that is, so as to cover the view, picture or other object that has been exposed. The time occupied between the first movement of the screen or shutter and its return is of course determined by thelength and slope of the inclines down which the coin has to travel as above described.

The screen or shutter used for covering the view, picture or other object may be arranged to move either up or down in order to expose such object to view.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:'

a front elevation of said door drawn to a larger scale in order to betterillustrate the construction of the appliances which are arranged to Serial No. 433,591. (No model.)

expose the picture or other object to be viewed. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 3, 3, Fig. 2. of said mechanism showing it removed and drawn to a larger scale.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

A, Fig. 1 represents the picture or other object which is to be exhibited, upon a coin being placed Within the slot B formed in the door or other convenient part of the apparatus while 0 represents the small glass window through which said picture or other object can be seen from the outside of the easing D of the apparatus.

E represents a screen or shutter which is mounted upon a counterbalanced le'ver F and which is normally opposite to the sheet of glass or window 0 so as to prevent the people from seeing what is inside the casing D. The lever F carrying this screen or shut-ter E is fitted with a retaining catch or pawl G which when said lever is depressed by the weight of a coin is arranged to be engaged by a pin H projecting from the door I of the apparatus, and the outer end of said lever F is fitted with a coin receptacle J into which the coin drops from the first receptacle K into which it has passed through the slot B.

L represents another receptacle which conimunicates with a series of zig-zags M leading down to near the bottom of the door I and is arranged to deliver the coin into a receptacle N on the end of a lever O which is connected Fig.4 is a front elevation of part by a cord P to a bell crank lever Q whose outer end bears against the retaining catch or pawl G so that if partially rotated it will force said catch G outward out of engagement with its retaining pin H. A spring R is connected to the bell crank lever Q and always tends to return it to its normal position.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: Upon a coin of predetermined size and weight being placed within the hopper or first receptacle K through the slot B it slides down the inclined surface of said receptacle and falls into the second receptacleJ upon the lever F thereby depressing said lever and carrying the screen or shutter E down away from the window 0. The eitect of this movement will be to cause the catch G to engage with the pin H and thereby retain the lever F and therefore the screen or shutter E in their lowered positions. The coin then rolls out of the receptacle J into the receptacle L communicating with the series of inclines M down which it travels slowly and finally falls into the lower receptacle N thus depressing said receptacle and causing the lever O supporting same to partially rotate the bell crank lever Q so as to force the catch G out of engagement with the pin II and thus allow it together with the screen or shutter E to rise into their normal positions so as to once more shut off the View of the picture or other article A. The spring R then returns the bell crank lever Q, to its normal position ready fora fresh operation.

It will be readily understood that although my improved apparatus is simple and inexpensive in construction it will expose a picture or otherarticle for a certain time upon the insertion of a coin of predetermined weight and size within the slot B provided for the purpose in the casing of said apparatus.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:

1. In an automatic exhibiting apparatus, the combination of the casing having an opening for viewing the picture, and a coin opening, the movable screen E, arranged to close the said view opening, the catch for holding the screen in moved position, the zigzag conduit for the coin, a trip lever O at the end of the said conduit arranged to be operated by the coin, the connections between the said trip lever and the screen catch for releasing the screen and permittingit to return to normal position substantially as described.

2. In combination the casing having a view opening, a screen or shutter for closing the same normally, the lever carrying the said shutter, the catch for holding the lever with the shutter in moved position to keep the view unobstructed, the coin conduit, the said screen lever being arranged at the upper end of the conduit to be operated by the'coin as it is introduced, the coin receptacle and the means located at another part of the conduit and also adapted to be operated by the coin before it is discharged into its receptacle, the said means being arranged to release the shutter, substantially as described.

ALFRED BOSSOMAIER. Witnesses:

GEORGE THOMAS COLLINS, OSWALD SABiJRY-MARRISON. 

